The year has started off great! Moving to Durango, CO to help pursue my dream of competing with the top caliber Professional Cross Country racers in the US has proven to be an excellent move on my part! In addition to that, Scott bikes, Wilderness Trail Bikes(WTB) and Magura, have helped me put together a sub 20 pound hardtail for racing this year. The year couldn't have begun any better then it has.

In my first race of the year in Fontana, CA, I lined up with 105 other Pro riders. I was very anxious to see where my fitness was, but also nervous considering there were plenty of other very strong riders sitting on the line with me. At the start of the race, I was agrressive which put me in a top 25 position for the first half of the race. My power was there which was a first, but shortly thereafter my lack of race fitness began to show as I dropped back to finish in 34th place. A decent start, and I was very happy to see that my power was much better then the previous year. When I first moved up to Pro last summer, I could tell that I had a lot to do in order to stay with the top 25 riders, so to sit there for the first half of the race was a huge confidence booster! The good news was that was just the start of things.

The next big race I went to was The Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, CA. This would be a true test. The competition was there, and my race fitness had progressed after racing in two more "training" races. The weekend began with the Short Track race on Saturday where 80+ Pro riders showed up. In the short track I hung with the top 20 riders for the first 10 minutes and then dropped back to finish 22nd in the race. This surprised me because I have never had the power to hold on to the front pack of the Pro Short Trackj riders. A good result, but the true test still remained on the next day with the XC race.

There were 153 riders lined up in the XC race on Sunday. It was also very, very hot reaching the mid 90's at one point. The start was hectic with the larger field, but I managed to hold my own and pulled into the top 50% after the first 10 minutes. From there I got stuck behind many riders in the first two single track climbs, and wasn't able to push the pace too hard.......this was something I thought was bad at the time, but given the extremely hot conditions it worked to my advantage. About 20 minutes into the race I wasn't overheated and felt very good. I was able to break away from the riders I was with and started to push the climbs. Riders were dropping out like flies due to the high temperatures, and I continued to move up in positions. By the time I hit the half way point at the feed zone, I was sitting in the main chase group of about 6 riders which put me in contention for the Top 10!!!! I was, once again, very surprised. From there, though, things began to fall apart. The heat and faster pace began to play a tole on me and I dropped from the chase group, and then dropped back some more. The heat forced me to slow down along with many other riders. Luckily I only had 10 miles to suffer prior to the end of the race! When I finally finished, I was sitting in 25th place. A top 25 finish! A very solid effort, and one that will be remembered.

A very good start to an early season! I surprised myself. Much of it has been due to the constant support from my girlfriend, my sponsors(Scott Bikes, WTB, Magura), and my coach(Doug Bush of Endurance Factor). Much thanks goes out to them. On top of that, Durango, CO has the best trails around and is sitting at high altitude. A definite plus in my books! So now it's time to get back in the saddle and push the limits so that my fitness continues to grow and I can hold off that top 15 position for the entire race! Looking forward to it and hope to see many of you at the races!

This past Wednesday I had a great opportunity to wake up early and give back to the community. A few local Pro XC riders along with myself joined up with the local school district to celebrate the annual Walk and Wheel to School day. The event was started in Denmark back in the 70’s and now has spread worldwide in an effort to encourage kids to walk and bike to school safely. There was a great showing to the event which included a walk and ride around the local school where we demonstrated proper bike safety to the kids including wearing a helmet and obeying the laws of the road. I had a great time along with the other Pro riders.

You can also find more pictures along with a thorough run through of the event at the following link: http://www.durangoschools.org/

I hope that this event continues to grow throughout the US and kids become more active and safe at all times.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to compete against some of the legends in the sport of mountain biking. I didn’t expect too much when heading down to Farmington, NM for the 2008 Road Apple Rally, but when I rolled up to the line there were two very familiar faces next to me. Ned Overand and Travis Brown, both residing in Durango, CO, decided to show up to the race. No longer was the race a “training race”. It was now an epic moment where I had the opportunity to race against some of best known racers in the country!

A year ago I would have never dreamed of lining up and competing against guys like this. A lot of training under Doug Bush, and moving part time to Durango, CO, has made some unreal things happen. Another example; this past weekend after the epic Saturday race with legend Ned Overand, I went out for a nice long 4.5 hour ride. About 30 minutes along I ran into one of the top Pro’s in the Nation, Kenda/Titus racer Andy Schultz (had two top 5 finishes in National races this summer, also brother to Gary Fisher/Subaru racer, Sam Schultz). I was lucky enough to have met him a few weeks ago, so we rode together and talked about racing, training, local Olympian Todd Wells, other local athletes such as the two top collegiate mtn. bike racers in the nation and now residing in Durango, CO also, etc.!  It amazes me how packed Durango is with amazing top caliber athletes! You never know who you will run into.

So I will leave you by saying this. One year ago I was living in Fort Myers, Fl, with one 10 mile mountain bike trail and high expectations. Now I am living and competing with some of the top Pro’s and legends of the sport and have hundreds of miles of mountain bike trails. Talk about getting better, show up to the local short track once a week and compete against the top Pro’s in the nation! That will make you better if it doesn’t destroy you in the process! On top of that, I get to choose from many different trails to ride every day. If you ever get the chance, drop by Durango, CO for some of the best riding in the nation along with the possibility of meeting the legends of the sport! All I can say is the possibilities to improve in an atmosphere like this are endless! High altitude, endless trails, top competition, and a great coach to guide me along the way! Bring it on! I can’t wait to see what I can do in the 2009 season! Bring it on!

Speed World Championships here in Durango, CO!

In the past two weeks I have been releshing the new Pro XC license I received. I worked very hard this year with countless 10-20 minute Lactate Threshold intervals, and plenty of lung basting races in Califonia, Georgia, and Florida. In addition to that I just made a move to Durango, CO. Both of these steps put me that much closer to great results in the mountain biking arena.

I have always followed the saying, "You are only as good as the Tennis players you play against". By moving to the Professional level, I see myself improving faster and at a higher level. The only downside to it is that every rider at the Pro level is very, very good. There is no playing around!

The move to Durango is another step to improvements. Living in Florida the last 3 years(since I started racing mtn bikes) has always made it hard to put the quality hours in on the bike. Now living in Durango is epic! The motivation to ride and competition here is incredible. Last week Ryan Trebon, Travis Brown, Tad Elliott, and Troy Wells were all at the Wednesday shorttrack that is held by DurangoDevo(youth cycling program) once a week.

So in the next few weeks I will be preparing for the highest of competition that I will see in the Firecracker 50 in Breckenridge(July 4th), the NMBS race in Windham, NY, and finally the National XC Championships in Vermont. I hope to see many of you at these races.

Drew Edsall

It’s been about two months since my last blog, and a lot has gone on since then. I have seen my share of ups and downs on the National and local race circuits.

To start off I went to The Sea Otter Classic for the first time. The event was full with very strong riders and I came into it in very good shape and a lot of confidence. However, I was very unfortunate in both the short track and cross country races. In the short track race I got overconfident, took a turn a little too fast, and fell early in the race. That caused me about 20 seconds. By that time I was far from the leaders and decided to sit in and hold back for the more important cross country race the next day. The cross country race started off very good for me. I got in a strong pack of four riders just 30 seconds back from the leaders for the first lap(out of two total), but then found myself on the side of the course trying to repair a cut sidewall. After going through two 16 ounce CO2s, I was forced to abandon the race and have my first DNF of the season.

The bad luck streak didn’t stop there. In an act to make up for the bad races at Sea Otter, I pushed the next week of training hard to try and build my fitness for the next NMBS #3 a month later. Included in that week was a race in Winder, GA. I came into that race feeling a little sick, but managed to pull off a 4^th place finish against the top Pro’s and Semi-Pros in the South Eastern Region. A very good result that I was happy with considering the way I felt in the race (sick!).

And sure enough I was getting sick. That race sent me over the edge and I was sick for a full week coughing up mucus, and extremely weak. I must have gotten 10-12 hours of sleep a night, but still was forced to only 3 hours of training for the week (very little compared to my normal workload of 10-16 hours).

At the end of that week I headed off to another race in Ducktown, TN. I felt recovered, but wasn’t sure how I would feel after a tough week of sleep and no play. I felt completely flat in the race. My legs had no power! I struggled on hills that normally I would fly up! I finished a disappointing 9^th place. It wasn’t a terrible placement, but I knew I had much more potential.

That week led to my last two weeks of training and the NMBS #3 in Santa Ynez, CA. I worked hard the past two weeks to prepare for this NMBS and wanted to pull through with a top 5 finish in the Cross Country race. My original plans were to fly in on Thursday, pre-ride Thursday and Friday, and then race on Saturday. That would give me sufficient time to learn the course and prepare for the race. The airlines had different plans though. They decided that all my luggage would arrive a day late included my bike! I sat in the car all Thursday while the other four riders with me rode the course and prepared their bikes for the race. So I only got to pre-ride the surprisingly tough course one time before the race.  The course was very tough with steep climbs that tested your fitness to the max.  Included with the tough course were blazing temperatures that rose into the triple digits. Putting those three factors in to place made for a tough race.

I got a great start that Saturday in the Cross Country race and sat in 10-15^th place for the first half of the first lap, but at about that time I hit a steep climb that I thought flattened out after the 100 feet or so of 20%+ grade that we had to climb. To my surprise the climb kept on going for another 10 minutes………I went over my lactate threshold and started to feel a burning sensation in my legs. Typically I would recover from this within 5-10 minutes of moderate-easy riding. With a long 5 minute downhill at the end of this climb, I figured that I was in good shape to bounce right back and power up the next few climbs to put myself right back with the top 25% of the Semi-Pros. My body had other plans though. The heat was so brutal that it took me over 20 minutes to fully recover and start to feel strong again. By that time I was already towards the back of the pack, but I hung in there and started to pull riders back in the second half of the race. I managed to put a negative split (i.e. faster second lap then first) on the second lap and felt very good. I pulled off a 21^st place finish which was far from the top 5 finish I wanted, but given the circumstances I was happy that my second lap was as strong as it was.

The next day was the short track race. I felt much better in that race and stayed within the top 5 for almost the entire race. With two laps to go I had reached my physical limit and had to back off the extremely fast pace the leaders were setting. I tried to hold my own for the last 10 minutes and went through excruciating pain to keep the pace. I came through the finish line in a respectable 11^th place.

So the last two months of racing have been good, but far from great. The season started off with a bang when I finished top 5 in my first National in Arizona and won a race in Macon, GA the week before that. From there things have gone downhill. I have learned how far I can push my body before it gives up and gets sick. I have also learned more about my limits during a race and the importance of pre-riding a course prior to racing it. Finally I have learned that it is very hard to train for a climbing course when living in Florida.

My plans within the next few months are to go to Durango, Colorado, train a lot, and then head up to the next few Nationals including the National Championships in Vermont and take a shot at another top 5 in the National Circuit.

               This weekend I set off for my first visit to Fountain Hills, Arizona for the NMBS #2. I didn’t know what I was getting into until I arrived in the hot, dry and desert like climate that Arizona is known for. I looked around and all I saw was desert. At the race venue there was absolutely no shade in site. The sky was clear, the air was dry, and it was dusty. The “perfect” day for a race…..or at least that was what the announcer was saying! I was more intent on racing in 60-70 degree weather that had a little more humidity to it. But, I was there to race, and that was what I intended on doing whether I liked the weather or not.

                The race was setup as an omnium where there were three events that scored together to place you overall for the entire NMBS #2. The events were the Super D TT, the Short Track race, and the Cross Country race each occurring on different days. The latter event was what I went there for and was the most important event in my eyes. However, I wanted to do well in every event.

                I came prepared for a hard, technical Super D with tight singletrack and steep downhills. I even packed a spare wheelset just for the Super D because I was worried my new Stan’s ZTR Race wheelset would be put in jeopardy down a technical fast course. However, what I was presented with was a slightly downhill TT race that seemed more like a road TT then a Super D event. I went with the flow and gave the race my all, but was disappointed with an 18^th place finish out of the 42 some Semi Pro racers. Not the greatest start, but I was motivated to make up for it in the Short Track the coming day.

                On Saturday the Short Track event took place. I felt prepared, was very confident and motivated to do well. After a great start putting me in 6^th place, I realized that I went out above my ability. I tried to hang on, but I was already over my lactate threshold and was forced to slow down 10 minutes into the 25-30 minute race. This being my 2^nd short track race, I was anxious and adrenaline filled my inexperienced body. I fought and fought down to the last minute of the race where, once again, I found myself at a disappointing 19^th place.

                I went to sleep that night telling myself that tomorrow was the day that I had to redeem myself.  I went to sleep early, and woke up motivated and ready to have fun and ride in the event I was waiting for the entire weekend; the 30 mile Cross Country race. I went into the race telling myself that I have to do whatever is necessary to win the race. That being said, I started the race and played the first 2 out of 3 laps very smart. I sat in around 20^th in the first lap drafting and watching the lines in front of me and then moved up to 7^th going into the last lap. That’s when the race really started. There were about 10 of us in the front pack.  At that time the pace was picked up and fatigue started to settle in on many of the riders. I pushed it and found myself making time on the top 5 riders and slowly moving up to the point where I was in 3^rd place by the end of the toughest climb in the race. I was very motivated and wanted the win so I pushed it some more on the downhill and moved into 2^nd place with about 3 miles to go with about 15 seconds to the 1^st place rider. The 3 riders trailing me were very smart though and kept me in sight. I needed a gap and worked very hard to try and get one, but couldn’t shake them more then 5-10 seconds off me.  About a mile 2 miles later came the turning point in my race. The prior 2 days of racing had accumulating fatigue hitting in and I hit the wall pretty hard. The other 3 riders passed me and I struggled to maintain a very respectable 5^th place in the Cross Country race.

                I was very happy with the 5^th place result which also moved me to 9^th place overall in the omnium. Not too bad for my 2^nd National race as a mountain bike racer. Even better yet, that 5^th place Cross Country placement puts me one step closer to the Professional license that I am fighting to get by 2009. It would be great to achieve that goal much earlier then expected! I have plans on attempting to achieve that in the biggest race of the season in two weeks; the Sea Otter Classic. If you get a chance come on out and cheer on the many cyclist competing in the multiple events throughout the week in Monterey, CA. I hope to see many of you there and wish the best for all the competitors.

             This weekend I set off to the first Georgia State Series race in Macon, Georgia. I packed my small Mazda 3 Hatchback with four Florida racers and we headed off to what was one of my best races yet. The weather was very decent hovering at around 55 degrees, which is what I consider almost perfect. It is cool enough to keep me from sweating, but warm enough so my legs don’t freeze. The course was filled with short 2-3 minute climbs and a good amount of solid and fun singletrack. There was a decent turnout of 17 riders in our Pro/Semi-Pro/19-29 class.  After two solid weeks of long interval work focusing on raising my lactate threshold, I came into the race confident and anxious to win.

                I took a commanding lead of 1 minute off the second rider(Michael Cummings) and 1:30 off a strong 3^rd rider for Sobe Cannondale(Shey Linder) in the first lap. My legs felt great and I pushed a strong pace. I slowly kept gaining to where I was about 3 minutes off Cummings coming into the 3^rd lap. I pushed the climbs hard, and played it smart on the downhills.  The Scott Spark I rode was set up perfectly weighing in at only 21.8 pounds. The 1.9 Larsen TT tires added to the low weight and low rolling resistance and sent me into the climbs confident and flying. I continued to lengthen my lead and pulled away with a solid win just under 4 minutes ahead of Cummings and 5 minutes ahead of 3^rd place(Shey Linder).

                This coming Thursday I will be off to the NMBS #2 in Fountain Hills, AZ. This race has given me the confidence I will need to have a great finish there in the Semi-Pro Cross Country and Short Track races. In addition to that I am going to have some fun and race my first Super-D race. From what I have heard the Arizona course is very similar to the conditions and courses I am used to. I am very “pumped” up and excited about the race and hope to pull off another stellar finish.

South Eastern Regional Championship #1

                The first race of the season turned out to be one of the hardest races I have raced. The semi-pro / pro field was stacked with some of the best mountain bikers on the East coast including Andy Mills (Southeast Trek/VW), Andy Johnson (KHS), Ryan Woodall (Powerbar), and Robert Marion (Kenda/Titus). Among them were many other strong riders from Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee. It was the perfect stage to see where I was at earl in the season.

                The course was smothered with short explosive climbs mixed into tight, windy singletrack. Temperatures were in the mid to high 80’s.  After building a very solid base this year, I was confident that I could compete with the best of the best in the South East. This race was the first race to see exactly where I stood early in the year.

                The start of the race was brutal. It was an all out open sprint running straight into three fast and short singletrack climbs where technical skills were a must. I started very well settling in at 5^th position for the first lap out of five total. Unfortunately, I was on the edge at that point and was forced to drop the pace and “settle in” or blow up. Being smart, I settled in as the four leaders (Matt Kinsley, Ryan Woodall, Victor Alber, and Andy Johnson) slowly pulled away. Within the next five miles I was passed by two others(Robert Marion and a Cannondale rider), but began to feel stronger from then on. I pushed the pace hard and then even harder. Every time I had a chance I pushed it. But I made little to no ground to the closest riders about a minute ahead(3 total). I was anxious, and gave it all I had, but little came out of it. The final lap I was hurting bad. The short explosive climbs had taken it all out of me and I struggled with near cramping situations throughout the rest of the race. To make things even tougher, the 8^th rider caught me with about two miles left to go. I pushed and pushed, but he stayed on my wheel. Every chance I knew he had to pass, I accelerated to the best of my ability and kept him behind me. We were back to back until the last section where we cut into singletrack before the sprint. There he attempted to make a pass on my inside, and I, being defensive and the front rider, cut him off. His decision not to slow down put him right into the bushes only 5 feet away. A close call to what would have been a disappointing ending. But as it turned out I ended up on the high side of that situation and came crawling to the finish line in 7^th place.

                7^th place……not exactly where I wanted to be, but a solid finish this early in the season against both semi-pro and pro racers. The six racers in front of me consisted of all pro racers besides a sensational semi-pro rider named Victor Alber. Victor has come a long way and showed his excellent ability to compete on the bike with a 2^nd overall finish.  I was happy with my result and feel very confident that when the more important races (NMBS #2 and Sea Otter Classic) come around that I will be in great race shape. The next few weeks are going to consist of some serious high intensity training that will hopefully bring my fitness level right to where I need it for those races. Hope to see many of you there and good luck with your racing!

                The first race of the season is right around the corner and I am more confident than ever in a solid performance at the Semi-pro/Pro level. The race takes place in Gainesville, Florida and is the first race of a series of nine in the South Eastern Regional Classics. The course is very unlike Florida. It has a lot of elevation change with some short climbs that will test everyone’s’ early fitness level.

                I am coming into this race ready as I will ever be. I have spent the last 3 months preparing for the season with many hours on the bike including some long steady rides and a few team races. So far the New Year has been the best yet, and I look forward to expanding on that with some solid finishes in the upcoming races. I have gotten many new sponsors including Scott, SRAM, Dedicated Athlete, and Rudy Project. So far their products have impressed me. The Scott bikes are ultra-light and very stiff. The best bikes I have ridden so far. The true test will come in the upcoming races though.

                I hope to see many of you at some of the SERC races. If I don’t see you there I am sure I will see you at some of the National caliber races in California, Arizona, and Vermont.